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Last Updated: Jan 10, 2023
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Hair Fall - How Genetics Determine Your Hair Health?

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Dr. Yv RaoCosmetic/Plastic Surgeon • 38 Years Exp.MBBS, MS - General Surgery, M.Ch - Plastic Surgery
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Hair fall or hair loss can be a harrowing experience in a person’s life. Among many reasons, genetic or hereditary predisposition is a fairly common factor. Even if you use medicated shampoos or use trusted and proven hair care products it still may not protect your hair and may not stop hair loss or even baldness.

How genetics determine hair health?
Some of the reasons which contribute to bad hair health due to genetics are briefly discussed below.

  1. Weak Blood Circulation in the Scalp: Many people are genetically predisposed to have low blood circulation within the scalp. As you age, the blood supply to the hair follicles starts reducing. This may be either due to a weak scalp or muscle tightening around the skull, which is cutting of blood flow to the hair follicles. This will result in hair loss and even lead to baldness.
  2. DHT: DHT or Dihydrotestosterone is another reason, which can result in hair fall. It is a variant of testosterone which is created when this hormone interacts with an enzyme in different places of the body. DHT is connected to receptors present in the hair follicles as well. When your hair regrow, the new hair grows smaller than earlier. If this cycle continues, you are left with almost no hair in the long run. DHT is found in the sebum, the blood and the scalp. If you have an elevated level of scalp sebum, it means you have a high DHT level which again may trigger hair loss.

Preventive measures

There are some precautionary measures you can take for your hair fall to stop worsening are mentioned as follows:

  1. Topical medications: You can use some medicated hair tonic, for topical applications. However, the effectiveness of these medications varies greatly from person to person and don’t expect miraculous results in the short run. Consult a doctor who can prescribe you specific ones according to your need.
  2. Oral medications: There are certain medications, which can control the level of testosterone within your body and stop or at least arrest severe hair loss. However, you should visit your doctor and may even need to go through multiple medical check us before an appropriate medication is prescribed to you.
  3. Food supplements: You can take food supplements, which provide amino acids and other vital nutrients to your hair follicles.

Surgical treatments, such as hair transplantation are also available as an option, which can help you cover bald patches on your scalp. However, these are expensive corrective treatments, which can be invasive and thus, you will to reconsider it carefully.

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